Matt & Jen Simerson

After 50 hours of walking at my desk, a few shortcomings compelled me to action. Most of the treadmill surface was under the desk and not available for walking, forcing a shortened stride. It was also unsuitable for jogging or running. We left the treadmill on sliders, so it could be slid out for running. The most annoying problem was not being able to use the controls while standing on the treadmill.

On Saturday I did a little measuring and planning, and then cut out a 11″ x 32″ rectangle for the treadmills console to protrude through. I positioned the cutout 8″ from the front of the desk, leaving exactly enough space behind the console for my iMac to perch on. Then I slid the desk over the control unit and moved the desk surface up.

After everything was in position, I found two problems. The iMac fit but there wasn’t enough space between its chin and the back of the treadmill console to tilt. The solution was cutting a 1.5″ x 14″ notch at the rear (the part I stand in front of) of the desk cutout. That allowed the treadmill to move forward 1.5″ and now I can tilt the iMac.

The other problem was the shelf. With the initial cut, it didn’t fit. Anywhere. After adding the notch and moving the treadmill forward, it was mountable as can be seen. The ideal mounting distance from the front edge of the desk to the cutout is 12.5″. Everything fits perfectly.

I have used this new configuration for 10 hours now. I would like a little more desk available for my forearms to rest on, and I need to raise the desk surface. When I last raised it, I forgot to factor in the incline of the treadmill. Without intent, I created an adjustable height walking desk!

Dear Panasonic,

Thank you for your consumer friendly web site. I was all ready to pull out my credit card and buy that camera. At the last minute, you intervened and saved me.

PS: Consider hiring someone to finish setting up your shopping cart. Making it work properly in standards compliant browsers would be welcome too.

When the first iPhone was released, it was expensive, limited to 2G (EDGE), and didn’t offer tethering. I was out of contract but I was in graduate school and tethering was my killer app. So I waited. Nine months later the price dropped, the first jailbreak was released, tethering was possible, and I ordered one.

It wasn’t long before I petitioned Steve for a ‘toy mode’, so we could let our kids play with the iPhone without direct supervision. This is an update for that request. I want user profiles, just like my Mac has.

I want to flick the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad off and set it down on the couch or coffee table. When my wife or child grabs it, they must enter their security code to use it. After they do, the device unlocks and all their apps and settings are presented. Email, calendars, saved Safari passwords, applications, etc.

Parental controls would be nice. Specifically, I’d like to prevent the kids from doing anything on my iPhone that costs money (make calls, send SMS, etc). Selecting the apps they are allowed to see/run would accomplish this nicely.

Without profiles, I won’t be able to use the mail, calendaring, password saving, or other features on the iPad. If I did, I’d risk the kids moving my appointments around, or deleting email messages. With profile support, the iPad immediately becomes fully usable by everyone in the family. It would get a lot of use. I’d buy one. If the competition for it became fierce, I might buy another.

The iPad size is excellent. It’s just right for toting around the house. The dock is a great feature, I’d buy one for the kitchen counter and another for my nightstand. I would not buy the keyboard dock. I’d buy the bluetooth keyboard instead, since it can be used with a Mac and the iPad.

There are some great games that are very playable on the iPhone 3GS. They would be even more fun on the iPad. Hands down, this is a far better gaming/education device than the iPhone or iPod Touch. There’s no doubt it’s better for reading books, browsing web pages, and managing email.

But is it really ‘better’ at music than an iPhone or a Mac? It can’t hold my entire music library, making it less ‘good’ than a Mac. It’s worth putting up with the iPhone storage limits because it fits in my pocket. The iPad has neither ‘best feature.’

It appears the iPad is better at displaying photos, but it can’t take any. Where’s the camera? This device should be able to take pictures and support video conferencing in the same way as iChat on a Mac. The lack of this feature is a compelling reason to wait for iPad 2.0.

The iPhone and iTouch are personal devices. Laptops are shared devices with user profiles. I would leave the iPad laying around the house as other family members would surely enjoy using it. The iPhone OS is designed around use by one person. The restrictions offered are all or nothing, making them far less useful for multiple users. The iPad needs profiles so we can all use it and have exclusive access to our personal data (email, calendars, saved passwords in Safari, etc).

I’ve used my iPhone as an in-car video player. I play the audio through my car stereo via bluetooth and hang it between the seats so the kids can watch a movie. The iPad could be far better, with the larger IPS display and longer battery life.

Perhaps, instead of leaving it sitting around the house, I need to customize my dash to fit an iPad. The next version of Motion-X GPS Drive for the iPad will take mobile navigation to the next level. That idea has some serious potential.

It’s a bittersweet day. We bought the Fusion a year ago, as the Jetta replacement, but we really like the Jetta and have not been eager to part with it. But we’re cleaning house and it was on the list. Last week a kindly fellow from Canada responded to my craigslist ad and now the Jetta has a new home. Farewall little buddy.